Page 24 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

On my part, I didn’t exactly notice the manipulation until I broke up with Sheldon.

Sheldon wasn’t a bad guy.

He was easily influenced and liked to climb the ranks. Sure, he used me to accomplish that, but he also was under the assumption that he was killing two birds with one stone.

However, when I told him that I didn’t want to be with him anymore, he turned into someone who was more like my brother.

Scott was an asshole.

Vickie, my stepmother, had two adopted children, Scott and Dorsey.

When my dad met Vickie, I was young.

My dad only had me because my own mother had died during childbirth with their second child.

Both the baby and my mom didn’t make it, and my dad saw absolutely no reason not to find another suitable substitute as soon as possible.

I was seven when Scott, Vickie, and Dorsey officially became my step-family.

Dorsey was great. Vickie, my stepmother, was just existing. She was never supportive, but never quite against me either. She didn’t fight for me, but she didn’t fight against me. Again, she was just someone who lived in the house and kind of took care of me when she was required to.

Scott, on the other hand? He was not great and never had been.

The moment he and Dad got together, they turned into horrible people, each making the other more horrible the longer they were around each other.

When they got together, they would torture Dorsey and me.

Vickie, for her part, was working her ass off as a doctor, and didn’t much notice it.

Dorsey and I didn’t really tell her about the issues, either.

I wasn’t sure what it would accomplish. If Vickie decided to leave, I would still have to deal with my dad.

And Dorsey, well, I wasn’t sure why she never snitched on her brother or my dad, but I assumed it had something to do with their previous life.

“Incoming,” Athena muttered under her breath.

I looked up to see my brother storm inside the coffee shop and veer toward the table that Sheldon was occupying with what looked like other members of the SWAT team.

There was a certain face that was missing, and it made me both sad and happy.

I didn’t want him to hang out with those assholes.

But also, I would’ve liked to see him.

It’d only been a couple of hours, and I already wanted to see him again.

But not with Scott and Sheldon anywhere around.

Returning my gaze back to my table, I said, “What are you working on that you couldn’t talk until today?”

Her eyes dimmed. “I was trying to find out about my sister and work on my thesis.”

My stomach clenched any time she talked about her long-lost sister, and this time was no different.

“Any leads?” I wondered.

“No,” she fisted her small hands on the table.

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